Flood Watch in Effect for Santa Barbara County Through Easter Sunday
Heaviest Rain Expected Through Friday Night, with High Winds and Surf Forecast in Channel and Along Beaches
It’s cold out there and bound to get colder with the coming winter storms. A flood watch is in effect for the mountains from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles counties due to the heavy rain expected Friday and lighter rain through Saturday evening, the National Weather Service reported. Sunday may see thunderstorms and intermittent showers.
The rain is expected to work its way from San Luis Obispo County to Los Angeles County on Friday, dropping an inch or so in Santa Barbara County overnight into Saturday. The skies should clear and then rain returns Saturday evening. As much as three inches is forecast from the storms, and up to 6 inches in the hills. Snow may fall down to 6,000 feet. A low of 56 degrees is expected during the day on Saturday.
High winds and high surf are forecast in the Santa Barbara Channel and along beaches. West- and northwest-facing beaches could see 15-foot sets.
The ground is still saturated from the winter’s storms, and South County reservoirs are beyond full. Cachuma is at 101.8 percent for the first time since 2012. San Marcos Pass has been drenched with nearly 48 inches of rain since the beginning of the rain year in October, and the county as a whole is at 132 percent of its “normal-to-date” rainfall.
The storm comes at an inopportune time for this weekend’s Easter festivities and observances. Saturday’s “Great Egg Hunt” at Elings Park has been postponed to an undetermined date due to the rain. Sunday’s long-standing Easter service at the courthouse Sunken Gardens is moving inside for the first time ever to Cavalry Chapel, at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., at 1 North Calle Cesar Chavez. As for the other outdoor Easter activities this weekend, readers should check organizers’ websites and social media pages for changes in plans.